Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

The ten best holiday songs penned by Jews

Yesterday, Jewcy noted that, for all the Christmas songs that have famously been written by, shall we say, People Who Don’t Celebrate Christmas, not one of a recent list of the Ten Most Depressing Christmas Songs was authored by a Member of the Tribe (“Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk on Christmas)” is John Denver, in case you were wondering).

But it reminded me that around this time last year, I collaborated with David Lehman, author of Nextbook Press’s A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, on a list of the ten best Christmas songs of all time. Check the original for extensive commentary; check after the jump for just the list itself.

My favorite? “Santa Baby.” I see Taylor Swift has ruined it, but below you’ll find a link to Eartha Kitt doing it right.

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“Christmas Baby Please Come Home” by Phil Spector? How does that not make this list?

Antiutopiasays:

December 21, 2010 - 9:25 am

Ha… but notice that all of these Christmas songs exclude reference to the birth of Christ. They’re all seasonal or about Santa Claus — there’s no religious overtones. What you should be observing is that Jewish songwriters wrote for an increasingly growing market of people (Jewish and non-Jewish) who celebrated an essentially secular Christmas. May as well call it Merry Solstice.

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